BioWare’s New IP Will Be Announced “Soon,” Says EA

Though most people are probably anxiously waiting for new information on Mass Effect: Andromeda, Canadian-based developers BioWare are ready to reveal an unannounced game sometime soon. EA studios executive Patrick Soderlund was questioned by GamesIndustry on the relevance of new IPs, given the commercial success of franchises under their belts such as FIFA and Battlefield.

“We’ve been very open about the fact that BioWare is working on a new IP, and we’ll get to deal with that in the not too distant future,” Soderlund stated. “We have other teams working on new IP as well. I think it’s about balance, right? Making sure we continue to push what great looks like for Battlefield or FIFA or Madden–or Star Wars, for that matter–while continuing to invest in something new.”

During the last generation, EA released an influx of new IP titles such as Dragon Age, Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge and Army of Two. Since then, they have started to work on fewer IPs, which Soderlund cited as the cost of development, but emphasized their dedication to working on new projects. “I think with our industry in general, there are maybe fewer titles today because the cost of development has gone up. At the same time, for us, I understand why it may appear that’s what we’re doing, if you look what we have here. But we have a big portion of our workforce dedicated to new IP today. New IP that we haven’t shown yet.”

Just before E3 this year, EA teased that a new IP would be announced “soon.” The game, which is currently in development at the Mass Effect: Andromeda studios in Montreal, didn’t appear at the exhibition after all. It was originally announced back in 2012, and has been subject to an array of teases ever since, including BioWare’s Alistair McNally sporting a t-shirt showcasing the new IP at the Game Developers Conference, but in a rather humorous twist nobody actually noticed.